San Galgano and the sword in the stone

The vestiges of the Middle Ages have a heart that still beats; just go to the abbey of San Galgano, in Chiusdino. The building dominates a green plain, a bucolic landscape typical of the Val di Merse. Built by the Cistercian monks starting from 1218, it was erected according to the dictates of the order that prohibited the intervention of operators outside the order itself. The remains of the church still appear imposing despite the absence of the roof: the walls, the mullioned windows, the columns and some remains of the ancient cloister survive. In a certain sense, the absence of coverage seems to almost open a gap between the present and the past. On the same site we find the Hermitage of Montesiepi. This place was chosen by San Galgano, the late Galgano Guidotti, to spend his life as a hermit. Here is the Rotonda, a chapel so called because of its circular plan. The interior shows a stone floor, while the vault follows a fascinating motif of black and white concentric circles, in terracotta and travertine. The most fascinating part, however, is certainly the sword stuck in the stone of the chapel. In fact, it is believed that Galgano Guidotti stuck the weapon in the ground as a symbol of his renunciation of worldly life. Obviously this sword has tickled the most imaginative parallels, even leading it to be compared to the legendary Excalibur.